KR101699819B1 - Using broadcast position and transmit power from access points to form assistance data - Google Patents

Abstract

In a location server, systems, apparatus and methods are provided for preparing support data from coverage report messages of one or more access points from a plurality of mobile devices. Some mobile devices each collect information about one or more access points and one or more access points. This crowd-sourcing information may be transmitted from the mobile device to the location server and may include ranging information (e.g. RSSI or RTT) and / or broadcast information (e.g., broadcast position and / or transmit power level) and / Information (e. G., Path loss). Using such crowd-sourcing information, the location server may form support data for the support data database, which may later be customized for that particular mobile device and transmitted to that particular mobile device.

Description

USING BROADCAST POSITION AND TRANSMIT POWER FROM ACCESS POINTS TO FORM ASSISTANCE DATA FROM ACCESS POINTS TO CREATE ASSISTED DATA

Cross-references to related applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 880,077, filed September 19, 2013, entitled " Using Broadcast Position and Transmit Power from Access Points to Form Assistance Data " U.S. Serial No. 14 / 096,853, filed December 4, 2013, claiming priority and claiming priority under §119 (e) and entitled "Using Broadcast Position and Transmit Power from Access Points to Form Assistance Data, Claims and claims the benefit of, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, both in the US provisional application and in the US application.

I. Field of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to systems, apparatus and methods for generating valid assistance data and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for generating effective assistance data in an access point's crow- a crowd-sourced position, and a transmit power level that is broadcast by a broadcast position and / or an access point.

II. Background technology

[0005] The assistance data does not include the variable position of the access point, but instead includes the static position of the access point. That is, whenever the assistance data is transmitted to the mobile device, the same fixed position is used as the position of the access point. Crowd-sourced information from a plurality of mobile devices is not used to calculate and improve the position of the access point. In practice, the broadcast position broadcasted by the access point itself is not completely checked or changed by crowd-sourcing information. Also, the transmit power level broadcast by the access point is not used to improve the position of the access point. What is needed is a method and system for determining a location of an access point in a support data database based on a broadcast position of an access point, a broadcast transmission level of the access point, a path loss between the access point and a plurality of mobile devices, Is a means for improving the position of the user.

[0006] Systems, apparatus and methods for preparing support data are disclosed.

[0007] According to some aspects, a method is disclosed for provisioning assistance data at a location server, the method comprising: computing a crowd-sourcing position from a crowd-sourcing database for an access point; Determining that the access point broadcasts the broadcast position of the access point; Setting a position of an access point based on information of a crowd-sourcing position and a broadcast position; And storing the position of the access point in the support data database.

[0008] According to some aspects, a location server is provided for provisioning support data, the location server comprising: a crowd-sourcing database comprising a plurality of mobile device reports for a plurality of access points, Each mobile device report from the mobile device includes an identifier of the location of the mobile device and an access point; A support data database comprising a position of each of a plurality of access points; And a processor coupled to the crowd-sourcing database and the support data database, the processor comprising: computing a crowd-sourcing position from a crowd-sourcing database for each access point; Determine that the access point broadcasts the broadcast position of the access point; Setting a position of the access point based on information of a crowd-sourcing position and a broadcast position; And store the position of the access point in the support data database.

[0009] According to some aspects, a location server is provided for provisioning assistance data, the location server comprising: means for calculating a crowd-sourcing position from a crow-sourcing database for the access point; Means for determining that an access point broadcasts an access point's broadcast position; Means for setting a position of an access point based on information of a crowd-sourcing position and a broadcast position; And means for storing the position of the access point in the assistance data database.

[0010] According to some aspects, there is disclosed a non-transient computer-readable storage medium for provisioning assistance data in a location server, wherein the program code is stored in a non-transient computer- Calculates a crowd-sourcing position from the crowd-sourcing database for the access point; Determine that the access point broadcasts the broadcast position of the access point; Setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position; And program code for storing the position of the access point in the support data database.

[0011] It is to be understood that other aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, and in the detailed description, various aspects are shown and described by way of illustration. The drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative rather than as restrictive.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings.
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a mobile device between access points.
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary content of a coverage report message in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of mobile devices that receive signals from a single access point.
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a process for transforming a coverage report message to form a support data database in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 shows broadcasts from a plurality of access points.
[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates broadcasts from a plurality of access points in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a mobile device between access points in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary content of a coverage report message in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates information elements included in a coverage report message for a single access point in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 10 illustrates a process for transforming a coverage report message for a support data database in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0023] Figures 11-13 illustrate methods for determining the position of an access point in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0024] Figures 14 and 15 illustrate relative positions in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 16 illustrates a method at a location server according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 17 illustrates elements of a location server in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0027] Figure 18 illustrates a method in a mobile device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 19 illustrates elements of a mobile device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0029] The following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various aspects of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only aspects in which the present disclosure may be practiced. Each aspect described in this disclosure is merely provided as an example or illustration of the present disclosure and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. The detailed description includes specific details for purposes of providing a thorough understanding of the disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure. Abbreviations and other technical terms may be used merely for convenience and clarity, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The position and position determination techniques described herein may be implemented with various wireless communication networks such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), and the like. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. The WWAN may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single- Network, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and the like. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs) such as cdma2000, Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), and the like. cdma2000 includes IS-95, IS2000 and IS-856 standards. The TDMA network may implement Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other radio access technology (RAT). GSM and W-CDMA are described in documents from a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) ". cdma2000 is described in documents from a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) ". 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. The WLAN may be an IEEE 802.11x network, and the WPAN may be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques may also be implemented with any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0031] A satellite positioning system (SPS) typically includes a locating transmitter (SPS) to enable entities to determine their position on earth or on the earth, based at least in part on signals received from transmitters Lt; / RTI > Such a transmitter typically transmits a signal marked with a repetitive pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a predetermined number of chips and may be located on ground based control stations, user equipment, and / . In particular examples, such transmitters may be located on earth orbit satellites (SVs). For example, SVs in constructions of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS or Compass (e.g., (E.g., using different PN codes for different constellations of the constellation) or using the same code on different frequencies as in GLONASS) . According to certain aspects, the techniques provided herein are not limited to global systems (e.g., GNSS) for SPS. For example, the techniques provided herein may be implemented in various geographic systems, such as, for example, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) in Japan, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) in India, Beidou in China, and / (E. G., Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS)) that may be enabled or enabled in other ways for use with or associated with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems Or may be enabled in other ways for use with them. By way of example, and not limitation, the SBAS may be, for example, a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), a European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), a Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), a GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (S) that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as navigation systems, and the like. Thus, as used herein, an SPS may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems and / or augmentation systems, and SPS signals may include SPS, SPS-type and / Or other signals associated with one or more of these SPSs.

As used herein, a mobile device, sometimes referred to as a mobile station (MS) or user equipment (UE), such as a cellular phone, a mobile phone or other wireless communication device, a personal communication system a personal navigation device, a personal information manager (PIM), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or other suitable mobile device may receive wireless communication and / or navigation signals. The term "mobile device" may also be used to indicate whether satellite signal reception, support data reception, and / or location-related processing occurs in the device or in the PND, such as by short-range wireless, infrared, wireline connection, It is intended to include devices that communicate with a personal navigation device (PND). Further, a "mobile device" may be a device, such as, for example, the Internet, WiFi, or other network, and for receiving satellite signals, receiving assistance data, and / Including, but not limited to, wireless communication devices, computers, laptops, etc., that are capable of communicating with a server, whether occurring or not. Any operable combination of the foregoing is also considered a "mobile device ".

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a mobile device 100 between access points 200. The mobile device 100 (also referred to as MS 100 or MS ₁ 100) includes several access points 200 (AP ₁ , AP ₂ , AP ₃ , AP ₄ , AP _5, and AP ₂ 200) Quot;). ≪ / RTI > Each access point 200 has its own SSID (SSID ₁ , SSID ₂ , SSID ₃ , SSID ₄ and SSID ₅ ) and its MAC address (MAC ₁ , MAC ₂ , MAC ₃ , MAC ₄ And a medium access control address shown as MAC ₅ ). The SSID is a network name, and the network name is usually a human readable text string. The MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to the access point 200. The mobile device 100 may send a coverage report message 120 to the location server 300 reporting which access points 200 accept the mobile device 100. [

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary content of a coverage report message 120 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The coverage report message 120 is transmitted by the mobile device 100 to the location server 300 via the access point 200 or the cellular base station. The coverage report message 120 includes the SSID and / or MAC address for each access point using the receivable signal. Coverage report message 120 may also include ranging information such as RSSI (received signal strength indication) and / or RTT (round-trip time measurements) of WLAN packets transmitted between access point 200 and mobile device 100 And may include ranging information. The coverage report message 120 also includes information about the mobile device 100, such as, for example, a GNSS location 110 (global navigation satellite system location) as determined by a GPS receiver (Global Positioning System Receiver) .

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of mobile devices 100 that receive signals from a single access point 200. The location server 300 determines from which of the mobile devices 100 receive a signal from a particular access point 200 (e.g., AP ₂ 200) from a large sampling of the coverage report message 120 . In the illustrated example, ten mobile devices 100 (MS ₁ 100, MS ₂ , MS ₃ , MS ₄ , MS ₅ , MS ₆ , MS ₇ , MS ₈ , MS ₉ and MS ₁₀ ) Recently transmitted a coverage report message 120 indicating that AP ₂ 200 broadcasts SSID ₂ and MAC address MAC _2. The various reported GNSS locations 110 of mobile devices 100 are shown in FIG. The location server 300 may determine a position 230 of the access point 200 (AP ₂ 200) based on the location information 230. The determined position 230 may include support data 322 for the mobile device 100, And may be agitated with similarly determined positions 230 to form the desired position.

[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates a process for transforming a coverage report message 120 to form a support data database 320 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The process occurs in the location server 300. The coverage report message 120 is received at the location server 300 from a plurality of mobile devices 100. The location server 300 reorganizes the coverage report messages 120 based on the individual access points 200 rather than according to the mobile devices 100 in the crowd-sourcing database 310. [ For each of the one to N access points 200 (e.g., AP ₂ 200), the crowd-sourcing database 310 includes an SSID and / or a MAC address (e.g., SSID ₂ and MAC ₂ ) . The crowd-sourcing database 310 also includes an entry for each mobile device 100 that has transmitted coverage report messages 120 within a time period. For example, an entry for each mobile device 100 may include ranging information, such as RTT and / or RSSI (e.g. RSSI ₁ , RSSI ₂ , ..., RSSI _N ) and GNSS location 110 have.

[0037] Next, the location server 300 calculates the crowd-sourcing position 210 for each individual access point 200 from the crowd-sourcing database 310. The location server 300 may use one of several methods to calculate the crowd-sourcing position 210 for the access point 200 according to the information and the desired accuracy in the crowd-sourcing database 310 have. The location server 300 may average the GNSS locations 110 of each mobile device 100 together. The location server 300 may weight the GNSS locations 110 of each mobile device 100 by an inverse of the received ranging information. For example:

[0038]

Before computing the crowd-sourcing position 210, the location server 300 may determine that the mobile device (s) with any outliers, such as the largest ranging information (e.g., RTT> threshold) ) 100 can be removed.

[0040] Next, the location server 300 determines the position 230 from the crowd-sourcing position 210. For example, the location server 300 may simply use the crowd-sourcing position 210 as the determined position 230. [ Alternatively, the location server 300 may combine or average the crowd-sourcing position 210 with a believed position (e.g., from a list of access points). Alternatively, the location server 300 may determine the crowd-sourcing position 210 when the distance between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the trusted position is greater than the threshold, and when the distance between the positions is less than the threshold, Can be used as the position 230.

[0041] Finally, the location server 300 stores the determined positions 230 in the support data database 320. The assistance data database 320 includes the SSID and / or the MAC address along with the determined position 230 for each access point 200. Later, when the assistance data database 320 is used to prepare the assistance data 322, the location server 300 reads information from the selected access points 200. The information in the coverage report message 120, the crowd-sourcing database 310, the assistance data database 320 and / or the assistance data 322 may include only the MAC address without the SSID. Alternatively, messages and databases may include both a MAC address and an SSID.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows broadcasts from a plurality of access points 200. Each access point may broadcast a beacon signal including an SSID and a MAC address. As shown, each of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth access points 200 (AP ₁ , AP ₂ , AP ₃ , AP ₄ and AP ₅ ) includes an SSID and a MAC address ₁ / MAC ₁ , SSID ₂ / MAC ₂ , SSID ₃ / MAC ₃ , SSID ₄ / MAC ₄ , SSID ₅ / MAC ₅ ).

[0043] FIG. 6 shows broadcasts from a plurality of access points 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. In addition to broadcasting the SSID and MAC address, the access point 200 may broadcast the position 220, transmit power level, or both. Broadcast position 220 may be highly accurate, somewhat accurate, or arbitrary. For example, the installer of the access point 200 may perform a survey at a point on the access point antenna using a highly accurate GPS survey tool. The new access point 200 then broadcasts a highly accurate broadcast position 220. The installer may use GPS points with large uncertainty and / or points away from the access point antenna site. The broadcast of this location as the broadcast position 220 may be considered to be somewhat accurate. Alternatively, the installer may incorrectly enter the GPS location into the access point 200, or the access point 200 may broadcast the factory default position as the broadcast position 220.

[0044] The network of access points 200 may broadcast various combinations of information or similar information as shown. In this example used in FIGS. 6-8 and 10, each of the access points 200, including the first access point AP ₁ , broadcasts its own SSID and its MAC address. The second access point 200 (AP ₂ ) also broadcasts its own position 220, which is a highly accurate or somewhat accurate valid position. The third access point 200 (AP ₃ ) also broadcasts its transmit power level. The transmit power level indicates the output power level at the transmitter of the access point 200. The fourth access point 200 (AP ₄ ) broadcasts both its own position 220 and its transmit power level. The fifth access point 200 (AP ₅ ) also broadcasts its own position 220, which is an unset, uncorrected, factory default, erroneous and / or random invalid position. The invalid position may be beyond the critical distance away from its actual position. For example, the invalid position may be one block or more away from the antenna (s) of the access point 200.

[0045] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a mobile device 100 between access points 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The mobile device 100 (MS ₁ 100) "witnesses" or receives signals from or accesses a plurality of access points 200 (AP ₁ , AP ₂ , AP ₃ , AP ₄ and AP ₅ ). Each access point 200 broadcasts its configured SSID and its unique MAC address and possibly its own position 230 and possibly its own transmit power level. That is, in the example, each access point broadcasts a signal as outlined in FIG.

[0046] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary content of a coverage report message 120 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The coverage report message 120 includes the MAC address for each received access point 200 and / or the SSID of the access point 200. The coverage report message 120 may also include other information elements, such as the broadcast transmission power level for the access point 200 and / or the broadcast position 220. The broadcast position 220 may be valid or invalid as described above. The coverage report message 120 may also include ranging information and / or path loss, such as RTT or RSSI values between the access point and the mobile device 100. The coverage report message 120 also includes the GNSS location 110 of the mobile device 100.

[0047] In this example, coverage report message 120 includes various possible combinations of information elements: SSID ₁ , MAC address (MAC ₁ ) and RSSI ₁ value for first access point 200 (AP ₁ ); The SSID ₂ , the MAC address (MAC ₂ ), the effective broadcast position 220 and the RSSI ₂ value for the second access point 200 (AP ₂ ); SSID ₃ , MAC address (MAC ₃ ) and path loss value for the third access point 200 (AP ₃ ); The SSID ₄ , the MAC address (MAC ₄ ), the broadcast position 220 and the path loss value for the fourth access point 200 (AP ₄ ); And an SSID ₅ , a MAC address (MAC ₅ ), and an invalid broadcast position 220.

[0048] FIG. 9 illustrates the information elements included in the coverage report message 120 for a single access point 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. In accordance with the formula, the coverage report message 120 includes a generic access point AP _M and typically includes (SSID _M and / or MAC address MAC _M ) and possibly ranging information and / or broadcast position 220) and / or broadcast transmission power level and / or path loss. At a minimum, the coverage report message 120 for a particular access point 200 includes a MAC address or an equivalent address that uniquely identifies the access point 200. When the access point 200 also broadcasts a transmit power level, the coverage report message 120 for a particular access point 200 may include a path loss or other distance indicator, such as the number of meters from the access point 200 And may include a number of meters.

[0049] FIG. 10 illustrates a process for transforming coverage report message 120 for support data database 320 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The process occurs in the location server 300. The coverage report message 120 is received at the location server 300 from a plurality of mobile devices 100 and stored in the crowd-sourcing database 310. [

[0050] First, the location server 300 reorganizes the coverage report messages 120 to form a crowd-sourcing database 310. The location server 300 groups information about the common access points 200 together. For example, one access point 200 may be included in some coverage report messages 120 from the same or different mobile devices 100. Each coverage report message 120, including an entry for the common access point 200, is grouped together. In the illustrated example, the record for the common access point 200 (e.g., AP ₂ 200) includes a unique identifier such as SIDD ₂ and MAC address (MAC ₂ ) for the common access point 200. The record also includes information received separately from MS ₁ , MS ₂ , ..., and MS _N. Line for the MS ₁ includes a broadcast position 220, and GNSS location 110 of the MS ₁ to the AP ₂ received at the RSSI _2, MS ₁ to the AP ₂ as received in the MS _1. The lines for each mobile device 100 may be similar or different, depending on whether the broadcast mode of AP ₂ was consistent or changed while receiving coverage report messages 120. [ In the illustrated example, MS ₂ through MS _N have similar coverage report messages 120.

[0051] Also as described above with reference to FIG. 4, the location server 300 calculates the crowd-sourcing position 210 from the crow-sourcing database 310 for each individual access point 200. The location server 300 may use one of several methods to calculate the crowd-sourcing position 210 as described above. Next, the location server 300 determines a position 230 from the crowd-sourcing position 210. Finally, the location server 300 stores the determined position in the support data database 320. [ The location server 300 may utilize the assistance data database 320 to generate support data 322 and send it to the mobile device 100. [

[0052] Unlike the embodiments of FIG. 4, the embodiments of FIG. 10 may include a broadcast position 220 and / or a transmit power level. In other words, the access points are: (1) not having either a broadcast position and a transmit power level; (2) has a broadcast position 220 but does not have a transmit power level bit; (3) does not have a broadcast position and has a transmit power level bit; Or (4) broadcast beacon with both a broadcast position 220 and a transmit power level. The resulting coverage report message 120 and the crowd-sourcing database 310 may similarly include none of the broadcast position 220 and / or transmit power level, or one of them, or both .

[0053] If the transmit power level is included in the beacon, the mobile device 100 calculates and reports the path loss from the difference between the transmit power level and the receive power level (eg, RSSI), rather than reporting the transmit power level . Equally, the mobile device 100 can convert path loss to distance (e.g., in meters) and report this distance over path loss.

As described above, once the location server 300 receives the coverage report messages 120, the location server 300 reorganizes the coverage report messages 120, sorting the crowd-sourcing database 310. [ The location server 300 may calculate the crowd-sourcing position 210 using this crowd-sourcing database 310, as described above.

[0055] When the access point 200 broadcasts its transmit power level, the location server 300 transforms any received ranging information (eg, path loss, RSSI and RTT) into distances. If the access point 200 does not broadcast its own transmit power level but the transmit power level is known to the location server 300, the location server 300 converts the RSSI, etc. into a distance. This distance and the GNSS location 110 of the mobile device 100 form a circle (or sphere) in which the access point 200 is located along its circle (or sphere). A distance-GNSS location pair from a plurality of mobile devices 100 may be used to tri-measure the position of the access point 200.

[0056] In some embodiments, only a first subset of mobile devices 100 may report path loss (or other ranging information) for a particular access point 200, while mobile devices 100 The second subset only reports data from the first subset to determine the crowd-sourcing position 210 of the access point 200 if the path loss to the particular access point 200 is not reported. 300). ≪ / RTI > In other embodiments, an average or weighted average position is determined from both the first subset of mobile devices 100 reporting path loss and the second subset of mobile devices 100 not doing path loss reporting do.

[0057] In some embodiments, only one distance threshold is used. This first distance threshold is used to distinguish the erroneous broadcast position 220 from the allowable broadcast position 220. In some embodiments, the location server 300 compares the crowd-sourcing position 210 with the broadcast position 220, considering the access point 200. If the two positions are too far apart (exceeding the first distance threshold), the broadcast position 220 is considered to be erroneous and is ignored. In some embodiments, if the two positions are closer (less than the first distance threshold), the location server 300 determines the broadcast position 220 in determining the determined position 230 of the access point 200 Can be considered. For example, the location server 300 may set the determined position 230 to the broadcast position 220. Alternatively, the location server 300 may set the determined position 230 to the crowd-sourcing position 210. In yet other embodiments, the location server 300 averages or weights both the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220 when determining the determined position 230 of the access point 200 .

[0058] In some embodiments, as described above, the first distance threshold is used to distinguish the erroneous broadcast position 220 from the non-erroneous broadcast position 220, and the second distance threshold is good And is used to distinguish the adjustable broadcast position 220 from the very good (unadjustable) broadcast position 220. The good and adjustable broadcast position 220 is correctable and close but is incomplete for the crowd-sourcing position 210 (within the first distance threshold but outside the second distance threshold). In other words, the determined position 230 is an average or weighted combination of both the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. On the other hand, the determined position 230 is not affected by the crowd-sourcing position 210. In other words, the determined position 230 is equivalent to the broadcast position 220.

[0059] In summary, the location server 300 collects and sorts coverage report messages 120 from a plurality of mobile devices 100 to form a crowd-sourcing database 310. The location server 300 then computes the crowd-sourcing position 210 for the access point 200 from the crowd-sourcing database 310. The location server 300 determines the determined position 230 of the access point 200 from comparing the distance between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. [ Depending on the distance, the location server 300 may determine the determined position 230: (1) into the crowd-sourcing position 210 (distance> first distance threshold); (2) the average or weighted average of the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220 (first distance threshold> distance or first distance threshold> distance> second distance threshold); Or (3) to the broadcast position 220 (second distance threshold> distance). The location server 300 populates the determined position 230 in the support data database 320. The location server 300 takes targeted portions of the assistance data database 320 and forwards the assistance data 322 to the mobile device 100 that needs it.

[0060] Figures 11-13 illustrate methods for determining a position 230 of an access point 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. In Figure 11, the method 400 begins at 410, where the location server 300 determines that the access point 200 broadcasts its position 220. At 420, if the access point 200 does not broadcast its position, the location server 300 sets the determined position 230 to the crowd-sourcing position 210. However, at 430, when the access point 200 broadcasts its position 220, the location server 300 sets the determined position 230 to the broadcast position 220. [

[0061] In FIG. 12, the method 402 begins at 410, again, to determine whether the access point 200 broadcasts its position 220. If the access point 200 does not broadcast its position, the method 402 continues with 420 described above. If the access point 200 is broadcasting its position 220, the method 402 continues with 412. At 412, the location server 300 calculates the difference between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. If the distance is far (distance> first distance threshold), the method 402 continues at 420. If the distance is close (first distance threshold > distance), the method 402 also continues with the previously described 430.

[0062] In Figure 13, the method 404 begins at 410, again, to determine if the access point 200 is broadcasting its position 220. [ If the access point 200 does not broadcast its position, the method 404 continues with 420 described above. If the access point 200 broadcasts its position 220, the method 404 also continues with 412 described above. At 412, if the distance is far (distance> first distance threshold), the method 404 continues at 420. If the distance is close (first distance threshold> distance), the method 402 continues at 414. At 414, the location server 300 determines if the uncertainty of the crowd-sourcing position 210 is less than a second threshold. Alternatively, at 414, the location server 300 determines whether the uncertainty of the crowd-sourcing position 210 is less than the uncertainty of the broadcast position 220. In either case, if the crowd-sourcing uncertainty is smaller, the method 404 continues at 420, and if the crowd-sourcing uncertainty is greater, the method 404 continues at 430, both of which have been described above. Finally, at 440, the location server 300 may set the position of the access point 200 in the assistance data database 320 to the determined position 230. When requested or required, the location server 300 may send the assistance data with the determined position 230 to the mobile device 100.

[0063] Figures 14 and 15 illustrate relative positions in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. In Figure 14, the location server 300 considers the distance between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220 and compares this distance to the first distance threshold. The location server 300 sets the determined position 230 to the crowd-sourcing position 210, and the broadcast position 220 is ignored. The location server 300 sets the determined position 230 to the combination of the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220 when the distance is close (first distance threshold> distance).

[0064] In FIG. 15, the location server 300 calculates the determined position 230 using one of two different methods. In a first method, the location server 300 compares the distance between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. The location server 300 compares the distance to the first distance threshold and the second distance threshold. If broadcast position 220 is greater than the first distance threshold (as shown in FIG. 14), broadcast position 220 is ignored and crowd-sourcing position 210 is used as the determined position 230 do. As shown, when the broadcast position 220 is less than the first distance threshold and greater than the second distance threshold, the broadcast position 220 is considered acceptable but adjustable. That is, the determined position 230 is set as a combination of the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. If the broadcast position 220 is below the second distance threshold, the broadcast position 220 is considered to be sufficiently accurate and unadjusted. That is, the determined position 230 is set to the broadcast position 220.

[0065] In a second method, location server 300 considers overlapping uncertainties. If uncertainties overlap between the uncertainty of the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the uncertainty of the broadcast position 220, the location server 300 sets the determined position 230 within this overlapping region. The location server 300 sets the determined position 230 at a point along the line between the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. [ The points may be midpoints of the lines of overlapping regions. Alternatively, the point follows the line but may be weighted by the uncertainties. Alternatively, the point may be at one end of the line in the overlapping region where less uncertain position is advantageous.

[0066] FIG. 16 illustrates a method 500 in a location server 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. At 510, the location server 300 computes the crowd-sourcing position 210 from the crowd-sourcing database 310 for a particular access point 200. For example, location server 300 may include (1) latitude and longitude; (2) latitude, longitude and altitude; (3) latitude, longitude and uncertainty; Or (4) calculate latitude, longitude, altitude, and uncertainty.

[0067] The location server 300 may have an earlier populated crowd-sourcing database 310 from coverage report messages 120 received from a plurality of mobile devices 100. The coverage report message 120 includes the GNSS location 110 of the mobile device 100 as well as information about the access points seen by the mobile device 100. The coverage report message 120 may include path loss between the access point 200 and the mobile device 100. Alternatively or additionally, the coverage report message 120 may include received power (e.g., RSSI). The coverage report message 120 may include a broadcast position 220 of the access point 200.

[0068] At 520, the location server 300 determines that the access point 200 broadcasts the broadcast position 220 of the access point 200. The crowd-sourcing database 310 may indicate via the flag or broadcast position 220 itself that the access point 200 is broadcasting its position 220, Or may be summarized once for the access point 200. [

At 530, the location server 300 determines the position 230 of the access point 200 based on the information of the crowd-sourcing position 210 and the broadcast position 220. The determined position 230 includes: (1) a crowd-sourcing position 210; (2) a broadcast position 220; Or (3) a combination of crowd-sourcing position 210 and broadcast position 220. The determined position 230 may include, for example, distances between positions as compared to a first distance threshold or a first distance threshold and a second distance threshold, an average or weighted average of positions, overlapping regions of uncertainty, Size, or size of the uncertainties.

[0070] At 540, the location server 300 stores the determined position 230 of the access point 200 in the support data database 320. At 550, the location server 300 may selectively form support data 322 from the support data database 320. At 560, the location server 300 may optionally transmit the assistance data 322 to the mobile device 100.

[0071] FIG. 17 illustrates elements of a location server 300 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The location server 300 includes a crowd-sourcing database 310, a support data database 320, a transceiver 340, and a processor 350. The crowd-sourcing database 310 is a repository for coverage report messages 120 from a plurality of mobile devices 100. The processor 350 computes the crowd-sourcing position 210 for the individual access point 200 from the crowd-sourcing database 310. The processor 350 also compares the broadcast position 220 with the crowd-sourcing position 210 to determine the position 230 of the individual access point 200. [ The processor 350 stores the determined position 230 in the support data database 320. Later, the processor 350 accesses the assistance data database 320 to form support data 322 for transmission to a particular mobile device 100. The transceiver 340 receives coverage report messages 120 from a plurality of mobile devices 100 and the coverage report messages 120 are forwarded to the processor 350. The transceiver 340 sends support data 322 from the processor 350 to the individual mobile device 100. [

[0072] FIG. 18 illustrates a method 600 in mobile device 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. At 610, the mobile device 100 receives the broadcast position 220 of the access point 200 from the access point 200 itself. At 620, the mobile device 100 determines the location of the mobile device. Steps 610 and 620 may be performed sequentially, sequentially, partially or completely overlapping.

[0073] As shown by the dashed boxes, the mobile device 100 may selectively receive and process transmit power levels. At 640, the mobile device 100 receives a transmit power level from the access point. At 650, the mobile device 100 determines the received power level. At 660, the mobile device 100 calculates the difference between the transmit power level and the receive power level to effect a path loss value.

At 630, whether the transmit power level is received and processed or not received and processed, the mobile device 100 transmits the broadcast position 220 in the coverage report message 120 and the GNSS location 110 (110) of the mobile device 100, To the location server 300. If available, the mobile device 100 also sends a path loss value and / or a received power level to the location server 300 in the coverage report message 120.

[0075] FIG. 19 illustrates elements of mobile device 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The mobile device 100 includes a processor 130, an access point receiver 140, a GNSS receiver and a transmitter 160. The access point receiver 140 may measure ranging information, such as RTT and / or RSSI, from each of the plurality of access points 200. The access point receiver 140 receives broadcast information, such as broadcast position 220 and / or transmit power level, from one or more access points 200 of the plurality of access points 200. The access point receiver 140 forwards this information to the processor 130. The processor 130 also receives the GNSS location 110 of the mobile device 100 from the GNSS receiver. The processor 130 generates coverage report messages 120 and transmits them to the location server 300 via the transmitter 160. The coverage report message 120 includes the GNSS location 110 of the mobile device 100 as well as the received broadcast position 220, path loss and / or received power level. The access point receiver 140 and the transmitter 160 may be combined into a single transceiver.

[0076] The methodologies described herein may be implemented by various means in accordance with the present application. For example, such methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing units may be implemented as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices Microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof, as will be understood by those skilled in the art .

[0077] For firmware and / or software implementations, methodologies may be implemented with modules (eg, procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies the instructions may be used to implement the methodologies described herein. For example, the software codes may be stored in memory and executed by a processor unit. The memory may be implemented within the processor unit or outside the processor unit. The term "memory" as used herein refers to any type of long term, short term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, including any particular type of memory or any particular number of memories, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of < / RTI >

[0078] When implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Examples include computer-readable media encoded using a data structure and computer-readable media encoded using a computer program. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, And any other medium that can be accessed by a computer; Discs and discs as used herein are intended to encompass various types of discs and discs, including compact discs (CD), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy discs, Discs (Blu-ray discs), where discs generally reproduce data magnetically, while discs use lasers to optically reproduce data. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0079] In addition to storage on a computer-readable medium, instructions and / or data may be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communication device. For example, a communication device may include a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, a communication device includes transmission media that utilize signals to display information to perform the disclosed functions. First, transmission media included in a communication device may include a first portion of information to perform the disclosed functions, while secondly, transmission media included in the communication device may include a portion of information And a second portion.

[0080] The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

Claims (26)

A method for preparing support data at a location server,
Calculating a crowd-sourcing position from a crowd-sourced database for an access point, wherein the crowd-sourcing database for the access point comprises a lane for the access point as measured by a plurality of mobile devices, Wherein the mobile device comprises ranging information and a location of each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the crowd-sourcing position comprises the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices, Calculated based on location;
Determining that the access point broadcasts a broadcast position of the access point;
Setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point;
Storing the position of the access point in a support data database
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
The crowd-sourcing position may include latitude, longitude, and uncertainty,
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices comprises path loss between the access point and the mobile device for each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices.
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices comprises a received power or round trip time measurement for each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices.
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the crowd-sourcing database for the access point further comprises the broadcast position from the access point, and
Wherein the crowd-sourcing position is determined based on the broadcast position, the location of the respective mobile device, and the ranging information or the path loss.
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the setting of the position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point comprises:
Determining an overlap region between the uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and the uncertainty region of the broadcast position, and
Setting a position of the access point in the overlap region
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the setting of the position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point comprises:
Determining an overlap region between the uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and the uncertainty region of the broadcast position, and
Setting a position of the access point to one of the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position based on a lower uncertainty
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the setting of the position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point comprises:
Determining that there is no overlap region between the uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and the uncertainty region of the broadcast position, and
Setting a position of the access point to the crowd-sourcing position
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the setting of the position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point comprises:
Calculating a difference between the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position,
Comparing the difference to a threshold to set a position, and
Setting a position of the access point based on the comparison
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the setting of the position of the access point based on the comparison comprises:
Determining if a difference between the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position is within the threshold; and
Between the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position, selecting a position having a lower uncertainty
/ RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. The method according to claim 1,
Forming the assistance data from the support data database
≪ / RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. 12. The method of claim 11,
Transmitting the assistance data to the mobile device
≪ / RTI >
A method for preparing support data at a location server. As a location server for preparing support data,
A crowd-sourcing database for a plurality of access points. A crowd-sourcing database for an access point includes ranging information for the access point as measured by a plurality of mobile devices, The location of each mobile device;
A support data database comprising a position of each of the plurality of access points; And
A processor coupled to the crowd-sourcing database and to the support data database,
Lt; / RTI >
The processor comprising:
Calculating a crowd-sourcing position from the crowd-sourcing database for each access point; and wherein the crowd-sourcing position is based on the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices and the location of the respective mobile device Calculated by -,
Determine that the access point broadcasts a broadcast position of the access point,
Setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
And store the position of the access point in the assistance data database,
Location server for provisioning support data. 14. The method of claim 13,
Further comprising a transceiver,
Wherein the transceiver is configured to couple a plurality of mobile devices to receive a coverage report,
Location server for provisioning support data. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the processor is further configured to form the assistance data from the assistance data database,
Location server for provisioning support data. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the assistance data to a mobile device,
Location server for provisioning support data. As a location server for preparing support data,
A crowd-sourcing database for the access point; means for calculating a crowd-sourcing position from the crowd-sourcing database for the access point, the crowd-sourcing database for the access point comprising ranging information ) And a location of each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the crowd-sourcing position is calculated based on the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices and the location of each mobile device -;
Means for determining that the access point broadcasts a broadcast position of the access point;
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point;
Means for storing the position of the access point in a support data database
/ RTI >
Location server for provisioning support data. 18. The method of claim 17,
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
Means for determining an overlap region between an uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and an uncertainty region of the broadcast position; And
Means for setting a position of the access point in the overlap region
/ RTI >
Location server for provisioning support data. 18. The method of claim 17,
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
Means for determining an overlap region between an uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and an uncertainty region of the broadcast position, and
Means for setting a position of the access point to one of the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position based on a lower uncertainty
/ RTI >
Location server for provisioning support data. 18. The method of claim 17,
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
Means for determining that there is no overlap region between the uncertainty region of the crowd-sourcing position and the uncertainty region of the broadcast position; and
Means for setting the position of the access point to the crowd-sourcing position
/ RTI >
Location server for provisioning support data. 18. The method of claim 17,
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the information of the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
Means for calculating a difference between the crowd-sourcing position and the broadcast position,
Means for comparing the difference to a threshold to set a position, and
Means for setting a position of the access point based on the comparison
/ RTI >
Location server for provisioning support data. A computer-readable storage medium for provisioning assistance data at a location server,
The program code is stored in the computer-readable storage medium,
The program code comprises:
A crowd-sourcing database for the access point, the program code for computing a crowd-sourcing position from the crowd-sourcing database for the access point, the crowd-sourcing database for the access point comprises ranging information ) And a location of each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein the crowd-sourcing position is calculated based on the ranging information measured by the plurality of mobile devices and the location of each mobile device -;
Program code for determining that the access point broadcasts a broadcast position of the access point,
Program code for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
And program code for storing the position of the access point in a support data database.
A computer-readable storage medium for provisioning assistance data at a location server. 23. The method of claim 22,
Program code for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
And program code for setting the position to the crowd-sourcing position.
A computer-readable storage medium for provisioning assistance data at a location server. 23. The method of claim 22,
Program code for setting a position of the access point based on the crowd-sourcing position calculated by the location server and the broadcast position broadcast by the access point,
And program code for setting the position to the broadcast position.
A computer-readable storage medium for provisioning assistance data at a location server. delete delete

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